Rack-knapsack



p 1952 s. UTTERSTRGM 2,611,519-

RACK-KNAPSACK Fil ed March 10, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 RACK-KNAPSACK 5 Shams-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 1949 p 1952 s. L. UTTERSTROM 2,611,519

RACK-KNAPSACK Filed March 10, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 P 23, 1952 s. UTTERSTRGM 2,611,519

RACK-KNAPSACK Filed March 10, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 23, 1952 s. UTTERSTROM 2,611,519

RACK-KNAPSACK Filed March 10,- 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 5/ Inv4n7 w Patented Sept. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 10, 1949, Serial No. 80,728 I In Sweden April 7, 1948 9 Claims. (01. 224 25) In present day knapsacks having steel-racks the construction of the rack is such that the carrying person will support the mass of the knapsack substantially on that portion of his body which is situated in the region of his shoulder-blades, the lower portion of the knapsack being at the same time held in slightly spaced relation to the body due to the fact that the rack has a transversally extending supporting member which rests against the small of the back. One disadvantage of such previously known rack knapsacks res-ides in that the movements of the carrying person when walking and particularly when skiing will be highly checked.

The principal object of the present invention is to eliminate this disadvantage by providing a rack-knapsack the steel-rack of which is provided at its upper portion with two projecting brackets or supports by means of which the rack will rest upon the shoulders of the carrying person slightly above-his clavicles. Thereby the point of gravity of the load will be located quite close to the persons body, and the freedom of motion will be very great owing to the fact that the rack will easily follow the shoulder movements of the carrying person when walking or skiing. 7 Practical tests with the new rack-knapsack have shown that it is possible without getting more tired, to carry considerably heavier loads than has been possible with rack-knapsacks of hitherto known constructions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knapsackof the kind stated in which the said brackets are pivotally mounted on the steel-rack to enable them to be folded-in when not in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rack-knapsack of the kind stated in which the said brackets are mounted on the steel-rack so as to be transversely displaceable thereon within certain limitsto accommodate to persons having broader or narrower shoulders.

-A still further object of the invention is to provide a rack-knapsack of the kind stated in which the said brackets are, in addition, mounted on the steel-rack so as to be rotatable relative to the rack about their own longitudinal axis in order to accommodate to persons having straight or sloping shoulders.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rack-knapsack according to the invention as seen from the backside;

bar.

side -members 4.

. r 2 Fig. 2 shows a vertical section through the knapsack standing on a support;

Fig. 3 shows a similar section through the steel-rack but with a guide member belongingto the carrying-equipment being slid into a position adapted for persons having thinshoul- *ders;

Fig. 4 is a top-view of the steel-rack.

Fig. 5 is'a top-perspective view of a portion of the steel-rack with one of the brackets according to a slightly modified embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a top-view similar to that of Fig. 4 but showing-a pair of brackets according to a further modified embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. '7 is a vertical section along lines VII-VII in Fig. 6.

Referring nowto the drawings the rack I of the knapsack is assumed to. be made of round In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1A the several parts of the rack are welded together into a unitary structure. The main part of the steel-rackis constituted by a frame substantially conforming, as seen from aside (Figs; 2 and 3), to the'contour of the back of the carrying person. From the top-portion of the frame 2 two U-shaped brackets 3 project in a forward and downward direction and serve, in use, for

carrying the knapsack upon the shoulders; Two side-members 4 project in a forward direction from the bottom-portion of the frame 2 and will, in use, be situated at the level of the waist of the carrying person. Waist-supporting members 5 of, for example, leather are attached to the Secured to the frame 2 between the waist-supports 5 but completely separated therefrom is a supporting member 6 for the smallof the back which member is also preferably made of leather. A similar supporting member 1 for the shoulder-blades is secured to the upper portion of the frame 2. The shoul-. der support 1 is provided at its upper edge with holes 8 (Fig. 4) through which a leatherstrap 9 (Fig. 2) can be threaded in order to attach the knapsack 10 to the rack I. Two retaining straps H (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) serve for securin the bottom portion of the knapsack to the steelrack. The knapsack l0 rests on a carrier-shelf l2 projecting rearwardly and substantially horizontally from the frame 2. The carrier shelf I2 is provided at its rear end with a bent-down portion 13 which together with the side-memhere 4 serve as legs for supporting the knapsack 10 so that when the rack-knapsack is placed upon the ground (Fig. 2) the knapsack (8 will be situated in slightly spaced relation thereto whereby is ensured that the knapsack and its contents will not get wet if the ground is damp.

The rack-knapsack is provided, as usual, with two carrier straps i l being attached at their upper ends to the top portion of the frame 2, and being at their lower ends inserted in a buckle provided on the free ends, respectively, of two corresponding straps it the other ends of which are attached to the side-members 4, respectively.

In addition, the rack-knapsack is provided with two shoulder-pads ll, preferably of rubber sponge and being attached to the suspension brackets 3 by means of fastening bands l8. portion of each fastening band I8 is laid around a transversal strengthening pin l9 interconnects,

ing the two legs 29 of the U-brackets 3, respec tively. The outer end of each fastening band (3 is provided with a sleeve 2!. provided with a guide member 22 suitably made of a leather strip and extending between the legs 20, being formed at its ends with loops which surround the legs 20, respectively, so that the guide member can be displaced longitudinally of the latter. The carrier straps M are passed through the'space between the bracket-legs 20 in such a manner as to be situated between the guide member 22 and the intervening portion 23 of the brackets 3 which interconnects the legs 5 29 at their outer ends. In addition the carrier straps M are passed through the sleeves 2! on the fastening bands l8,'respectively. This arrangement makes it possible to adjust the rackknapsack in such a manner as to be suitable to be carried both by stout-built persons having thick shoulders and by more weakly-built persons .having thin shoulders. In the latter case the guide members 22 will be slid to the right, as seen in Fig. 3, in which figure the shoulderfis indicated is broken lines, whereby the carrier straps I4- will pass by the forward ends of the shoulder-pads I'i without exerting any denotable pressure upon the chestof the carrier. Formore stout-built persons the guide members 22 will be slid towards the front-most portions 23 of the brackets 3, respectively the carrier straps M then obtaining a tension substantially the same as in Fig. 3 but being situated in'a more forwardly extended position resulting in that inv this case, too, there will result no squeezing of the'shoulder portion or of the upper part of the chest portion.

For retaining the supporting member 8 against 'the small of the back in use the usual waist-strap 24 serves: The side-members t are formed at 5.

gether at its upper end when the flap 26 is to be put on a closing strap 30 is provided, and the sack is so shaped that upon tightening this strap the upper portions only of the side-walls of the sack will be folded double (see the broken line at the upper corner at the right in Fig. 2). One

advantage of this formation resides in that the knapsack will be comparatively spacious and that the load can be disposed in the sack in such a F The upper end Each bracket 3 is manner that the point of gravity will be situated in close proximity to the back of the carrying person.

An advantage of the waist-supports 5 being completely separated from the support 6 for the small of the back resides in that the tensioning of the latter will be quite independent of the position of the two waist-supports 5.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 the brackets 3a are pivotally mounted on the upper frameportion of the steel-rack I, said frame-portion consisting of two rods 3|, 32 arranged in spaced parallel relation and interconnected by transversal studs 33. The bracket-legs 200. are at one end formed into an eye 34 loosely surrounding the-rod 3| situated next to the knapsack I0 (not shown in this figure). When the rack-knapsack is carried-the bracket-legs 20a are pressed against the under-side of the rod 32 and will then occupy the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5. When the knapsack is to be transported in vehicles or kept in storerooms the brackets 3a should be folded down (see the broken lines in Fig. 5) which makes the rack-knapsack less bulky. In addition, the brackets 3a will be laterally displaceable along the rodfii whereby the-knapsack can be adjusted within certain limits insuch a manner as to be capable of being conveniently carried both by broad-shouldered and by narrow shouldered persons. The lateral displacement of the brackets in will be limitedby contact of one or the other of the legs 28a. with the transversal stud 33. After mounting the brackets 3a'they are, in the manner indicated in the foregoing, provided with the shoulder-pads H which are attached to the transversal studs Mia, and further with the guide members 22'displaceable along the bracket-legs 29a.

7 Referring ,now to the embodiment shown inextending slit 35. As will be seen from Fig. '7

and the lower portion of Fig. 6, the bracket 3?) is formed at one end with an eye 3% fitting the rod 3+ with deliberate clearance, the shank of the bracket extending'from said eye beneath the'rod 32. By this means the bracket will not only be pivotable in a vertical plane (a plane perpendicular to the plane of Fig. l) but also turnable about the longitudinal axis of the bracket. Accordingly, it is capable of adjusting itself in accordance with the slope of the shoulder of the carrying person. The suspension brackets 3b together with their shoulder-pads El and the carrying straps 14 can be displaced closer to or farther from each other on the rod '3! in the opening 35 between the transversal studs 33. The eye 3% is received in the slit 35in the carrying strap 14 game and the knapsack can be varied in several different ways within the scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rack-knapsack comprising a metal rack and a knapsack attached to saidrack, said rack comprising a substantially vertical frame and a substantially horizontal frame extending rearwardly from the lower part of the vertical frame, a transversal supporting member for the small of the back of a supporting person on said vertical frame and a transversal sheet supporting member at the upper part of said vertical frame, two forwardly projecting bracket members on the top part of said vertical frame adapted to rest upon the shoulders and slightly above the clavicles of the carrying person, the upper part of said vertical frame together with the said sheet supporting member being curved towards said brackets and adapted to rest against the shoulder blades, and carrying straps attached to the upper part of said vertical frame and connected to said brackets.

2. A rack-knapsack as claimed in claim 1 in which said forwardly projecting bracket members are U-shaped, and the parallel legs of said bracket members are sufficiently spaced apart for said carrying straps to be passed between said legs of said bracket members, respectively.

3. A rack-knapsack as claimed inclaim 2, and comprising a transversal stud interconnecting the legs of each said U-shaped bracket member, a guide member extending transversally between said legs exteriorly of said transversal stud, said guide member being displaceable along said legs, a shoulder-pad pivotally mounted on each said transversal stud by means of a fastening band, a sleeve member carried by said fastening band at the outer free end thereof, said guide member being situated between said fastening band for said shoulder-pad and said carrying strap, said carrying strap being passed through the space between said guide member and the transversal portion interconnecting the legs of said U-shaped member at its forward end, and through said sleeve member.

4. A rack-knapsack as claimed in claim 1, said horizontal frame being in the form of a supporting shelf constituting a support for said knapsack proper, a downwardly extension formed at the free end of said shelf, and two downwardly projecting side-members at the forward end of said shelf, said extension together with said side-members supporting said knapsack in slightly spaced relation to the. ground when the rack-knapsack is placed thereon.

5. A rack-knapsack as claimed in claim 4 and wherein said side-members are formed with loops for attaching snap hooks of pulling ropes to be used in pulling a, sledge or the like.

6. A rack-knapsack comprising a metal rack including a substantially vertical frame adapted to rest on the back of a carrying person, a substantially horizontal frame extending rearwardly from the lower portion of said vertical frame, a knapsack attached to both said frames, an upper transversal member forming a part of said vertical frame, carrying straps attached tosaid upper transversal member, and corresponding above the clavicles of a carrying person, the

upper part of said vertical frame and said upper transversal member being curved toward said bracket members and adapted to rest againstthe shoulder blades of a user.

7. A rack-knapsack as claimed in claim 6, and wherein said bracket members, in addition to being pivotable in a vertical plane relative to said rack, are turnable relative to the same about their own longitudinal axis.

8. A rack-knapsack as claimed in claim 7, and wherein said upper transversal member of said rack comprises two rods horizontally spaced in parallel relation and each said bracket member is formed at its rear end with an eye fitting with substantial clearance that one of said rods situated next to said knapsack, and a portion of said bracket member extending forward beneath the other one of said rods.

9. A rack-knapsack comprising a metal rack including a substantially vertical frame adapted to rest on the back of a carrying person said rack having an upper transversal member consisting of two rods horizontally spaced in parallel relation, carrying straps attached to that one of said rods which is situated next to the knapsack and corresponding straps attached to the lower corners of said rack, two forwardly projecting bracket members pivotally and laterally displaceably mounted on that one of said parallelly spaced rods which is situated next to the knapsack, said bracket members being U-shaped with the parallel legs thereof sufficiently spaced apart for said carrying straps to be passed between said legs cf said brackets, respectively, a shoulder-pad pivotally mounted on each said bracket member by means of a fastening band, said fastening band for said shoulder-pad being attached to the other one of said rods, a guide member displaceable along said bracket legs, and. a sleeve member carried by said fastening band at the outer, free end thereof, said guide member being situated between said fastening band for said shoulder-pad and said carrying strap, the latter being passed through the space between said guide member and the transversal portion interconnecting the legs of said U-shaped bracket member at its forward end through said sleeve member.

SVEN LUDVIG UTI'ERSTRGM.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,104,468 Johansen Jan. 4, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 639,913 Germany Dec. 17, 1936 205,705 Switzerland Aug. 19, 1938 

